GAZA WATER SITUATION NEEDS URGENT SOLUTIONS

Gaza, 3 Jumadil Akhir 1436/23 March 2015 (MINA) – Palestinian lawmaker Marwan Abu Ras has appealed to the concerned international and local institutions to urgently intervene to prevent the deterioration of the water situation in occupied Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip.

MP Abu Ras, rapporteur of the parliamentary committee on interior affairs and local government, made his appeal during a news conference held on Sunday (22/3) in the Gaza Strip by the water authority on the occasion of the world water day, Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The lawmaker accused Israel of stealing water from the Palestinian aquifers and seizing about one billion cubic meters per year, affirming that the Palestinians have access to only five percent of their groundwater every year.

He added that about 55 million cubic meters of water are sold annually for one dollar per cubic meter by the Israeli occupation authority to the Palestinians, while the Jewish settlers’ share of water in the West Bank is seven-fold.

Abu Ras also pointed out that the salinity rates in the coastal aquifer of Gaza reached unprecedented levels and made its water unsuitable for human use, warning that this problem has serious impacts on the health of the population and the environment in the besieged enclave.

He emphasized the importance of effectively using the media and mosques to raise the awareness of citizens about the need to rationalize water consumption to prevent its depletion in Gaza. (T/P006/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)